The Master of Arts in Professional Writing program (MAPW) is a professional graduate degree program that prepares candidates for a wide variety of writing-related positions in business, education, publishing, and the arts. Coursework in three concentrations applied writing, composition and rhetoric, and creative writing allows students to gain theoretical and practical knowledge in various fields of professional writing. As students become experienced in producing and analyzing business, technical, journalistic, and creative texts, they develop a sophisticated understanding of style, structure, and audience. MAPW students will become writing professionals who can move in many directions during their careers. They will become flexible writers who can tune in to the writing conventions of a given genre, adapting their writing style to the requirements of various rhetorical contexts.
What is the MAPW Capstone Project?
A project designated as a thesis, portfolio or practicum and accompanied by a rationale for its purpose and design that involves electronic and/or print media and is relevant to the student’s concentration in professional writing. After submitting an approved capstone proposal, the candidate works under the direction and advice of two faculty members to produce the project. The candidate must submit the capstone project at least two weeks before either 1) a discussion about the project with the faculty committee, or 2) a public presentation about the project or a reading from the project for an audience of faculty and peers.
Theses/Dissertations from 2005
Discovering 21st Century Composition Studies, Jeannie C. Parker
The Babylonian Talmud: A Unique Text of Argument and Narrative, Pamela H. Reynolds
Monitions: A One Act Play, Deanna Ryan
The Varieties of Writing Experience, David Schmidt
Writing to Tell the Story: A Portfolio of Fiction and News Features, Christine Renee Smith
Road Rovers: A Screenplay, Kathleen Duerr Snow
Frontline Medic, Sandra Wright Taylor
Love and Letting Go, Owerri M. Washington
Drowned Things: Poems by Michael Weeks, Michael L. Weeks
Beauty, Jodi R. Williams
Societal Norms: A Writing Portfolio, Odiesha Williams
Theses/Dissertations from 2004
Paper Hearts Can Beat Forever, Susan Behar
On Audience and Cadence: Growing as a Writer from Youth to the MAPW Program, Rachel Faith Brooker
Coloring Outside the Lines: The Brownies' Book, Literacy, and "Jim Crow", Regina Ann Clark
Remants, Jennifer Goad Cuthbertson
Visits to a Time Called Mississippi and Other Travels, Ronald E. Dulaney
Writing About Theatre, Jennifer Hartshorn
Development of a Dynasty: The History of Kennesaw State Baseball, Chris Lerstang
Through the Red Sea As By Dry Land, Nancy Stephan McDaniel
Magdelina Menninger: For Better, Theresa Milford
Expanding the Boundaries: The Value of Composition and Rhetoric Studies in Professional Writing, Caroline DeArmas Mooney
Diary of a Writing Project: A Documentary, Lisa Satterfield
How Hard Is It To Find a Good Man? And Other Stories - An eBook (in Development), Lesia Miller Schnur
The Assorted Losers, Jeremy Sparks
Voice: A Writer's Essence, Nancy E. Spraker
Coming Full Circle: Integrating Writing into a Design Business, Tracey Viars
Guilt Trip, Leslie Wolfe-Cundiff
I Was a Teenage Alcoholic; Then I Turned Twenty: Tales of Love, Loss and Liquor, Karen Wurl
Theses/Dissertations from 2003
The Halfling of Cannallaith, Michelle Abbott
Excerpts from Sweet Auburn: An Illustrated Guide to Martin Luther King, Jr., National Historic Site and Historic Auburn Avenue, Carol S. Ash
No Footprints in the Sand: A Soldier's Memoir from the First Gulf War, William Lee Brame
Jumpstart: A New Employee's Guide to TRG Design, Alicia J. Brown
An Editing Practicum, Oscar V. Bryan
Jared and the Dessert Thief, Chris Burdett
Gabriel's Return, E. Y. Coley, III
Writing for the Audiences of a Freelance Web Site, Jimmy R. Cooper
Writing Community Spaces: A Writing Portfoilo, Peggy Maynard Corbett
"Sideways in the Wind", Heather N. Crawford
Theater, Film, Narrative, Tom DeTitta
Doorways: Forays: Adventuring beyond Professional and Creative Writing Thresholds, Deedie Dowdle
Maiden Flight, Jeff Golden
Dorchester Is My Hometown, Gerald F. Healy
Healthcare Writing from a Rhetorical Perspective: A Portfolio, Leslie Johnston
Interactive Words: Using Electronic Tutorials to Expand the Vocabulary of Middle School Students, Rebecca E. Kelly
Writing from the Heart: The Personal in the Professional, Denise McAllister
Being a Freelance Writer, Amy Marie Meadows
Chrysalis, Kevin Polin
On Nelson Street and Ball Lightning, Cheryl Stiles
Jacob's Ladder: A Novel, James Stoner
Show of Hands, Aurelia Thorn
Accepting Memories, Bethany White
Theses/Dissertations from 2002
In Media Res: Negotiating the Middle Ground for ESL Students in the Writing Center, Maren Valentine Blake
Riffs and Solos: Jazzing My Way through Writing, Jeff Cebulski
The Search for Self, Hal B. Cole
A Writer's Transition: Discovering New Possibilities in Communication through Visual Design, Carie Wallace Crane
God Waits on the Water, Candace Hall Doughty
The Longest Road: Tales of the Mysterious and Supernatural, Kimberly Jo Egan
A Basic Writing Instructor's Proposal: A Call for More Instruction in the Developmental English Department at a Technical College, Endora Matheney Feick
Mirrors for Michaela: A Story of Writing, Dyslexia and Drinking Tea on the Ceiling, Teri Holbrook
The Pearl Choker: The First Chapters of an Evolved Novel, Lois Cleaette Huddlestun
Dollars for Helper Dogs: Creating a Case Statement for a Non-Profit Organization, Heather Michelle Keen
Rewriting Myself, Kathryn S. Kiernan
A Field User's Guide to Chemcare Order Processing, Leah Knight
The Student Development Center on the Internet: Creating a Digital Presence for a University Department, Carol J. Pope
Spitting Down Light, Ryan Matthew Reece
Conceiving a New Writing Space, Lisa J. Shaver
Building an Online Presence for First Baptist Church, Cedartown, Georgia, Dawn C. Tolbert
Freedom Journey: A Roadmap to Success, Angela Lane Woods
Theses/Dissertations from 2001
Humor Me, Jeff Alexander
Falling Awake: A Writing Portfolio, Jessica Parlapiano Arledge
Writers Write and Sometimes They Teach, Eleanor J. Blount
A Technical Writer's Journey into the World of Information Management, Jennifer R. Bowers
When Leo Turned Left, Patricia Burrows Cardona
Inspirations for Life: A Writing Portfolio, Jerome Clark
A Practicum, Susan M. Cochran
A Writing Portfolio, Camilla Cruikshank
Lucky Man: A Full-Length Screenplay, Peter DiFazio
Storyteller, Matthew S. Hamburg
From Theory to Practice: The Process of My Professionalization, Kathryn E. Holmes
Creating a Personal Writing Space, Dana Lambert Jenkins
From a Distance: Making Connections via the MAPW Program, Mary Elizabeth Johnson
Shades of Gray: A Collection of Short Fiction, Lucinda A. Lombardo
Digital Storytelling for Children: Exploring the Possibilities, Krystina S. Madej
The Firelands: A Collection of Prose, Dennis C. Martin
Why Write?, Michele A. Medved
A Writing Portfolio, Cathy Murphy
Making the Most of the Medium: The Value of Video Production in Education, H. Perry Rentz
Misconception, Adam Lee Russell
A Writing Teacher Writes, W. Scott Smoot
Language and Literacy: Teaching Elementary Students to Write, Rozlyn Tennielle Truss
Both Sides: A Writing Portfolio, Mary Ellen Vogel
Creativity in Corporate Writing, Stephanie D. Waldroup
Finding One's Place through Writing, Leslie M. Walker
The Importance of Family in My Professional Writing, April Sheffield Wallace
Spherical Angles: The Practical Pursuit of Stylistic Freedom, Kristie K. White
Putting the Pieces Together and Discovering a Story, Gina Woods
Theses/Dissertations from 2000
The Reader on My Shoulder: Teaching Writing through Audience Awareness, Sally Brock
Lost Princess: A Life of Princess Charlotte Augusta of Wales, Cheryl Anderson Brown
Who Is My Audience? Journey of a Technical Communicator, Elizabeth B. Connell
The Design of a Writer: Parlaying a Professional Writing Program into a Professional Writing Career, Carissa Athena Craig